Wout van Aert may have had to settle for fourth for a race he had been targeting since the Tour de France, but he nonetheless was visibly delighted after Belgian teammate Remco Evenepoel claimed gold in the 2022 UCI Road World Championships.
Part of a faultless Belgian strategy in the 266 kilometre elite men's race, once Evenepoel had attacked, Van Aert told Sporza he was able to play a defensive game in the main pack, putting all their rivals under pressure.
But after the tactic paid off and while he was one of the first to congratulate Evenepoel after crossing the line, Van Aert slammed the lack of race radios in the Road World Championships, calling the ban “out-dated”.
However, like all the Belgian team, Van Aert was more than satisfied with how the battle for the top spot had played out, saying “I'm glad I was able to fill that role. I think we can continue to do great things in this way.”
Van Aert had described himself as “nervous” before the start, telling Eurosport that after the Tour de France this year, the World Championships had been his big target. And after last year, when the Belgian squad came in for ferocious criticism for their mis-steps at a tactical level, this time the pressure was even higher.
But the Belgians collectively stepped up to the challenge, Van Aert told Sporza, with Evenepoel backed by two teammates, Pieter Serry and Quinten Hermans, in the critical breakaway group. Meanwhile, Van Aert policed the peloton behind.
“We rode a fantastic race. You can determine the tactics in advance, but if it works out as expected, that's fantastic," Van Aert said.
“It was very dangerous for the other rivals when Remco and that group got away and that was a good situation for the team. Also for me.”
“Then when the alarm bells went off because Remco was holding his lead, I knew he had another super day.”
Van Aert was not so happy, however, about the ban on race radios, saying that the main peloton only knew for certain that Evenepoel was alone and at the head of the field at the start of the last lap. On top of which, he echoed trade teammate and silver medallist Christophe Laporte’s comments about a lack of race information because of the lack of radios.
“With no radio it’s a drama, Van Aert told Sporza. "Apparently I crossed the finish line in fourth, but I couldn't tell if I was sprinting for tenth, fifteenth, or second. It’s a pity, because I had the legs to climb onto the podium with Remco.”
Van Aert also explained that his late counter-attack on Mount Pleasant, which generated a few raised eyebrows given Evenepoel had already gone clear, had come about because he had no idea what was going on up the road and his move had formed part of the original Belgian race plan.
“We had discussed beforehand that if Remco was in front with a large group, I also had the freedom to race in the last two rounds behind it, “ he said. “If I got there at the front, we would be in an even stronger situation.”
“ I think a lot of guys shaped their course around me and that Remco has been able to get extra space as a result. I'm glad I was able to fill that role. I think we can continue to do great things in this way.”
